The announcement came this morning that Starbucks will be coming to all six of Disney’s domestic theme parks, starting this June with Buena Vista Street. The announcement was not a total a surprise, rumors of Starbucks at Disney parks have been circulating for years.
“Starbucks and Disney have many things in common,” said Arthur Rubinfeld, president, Global Development, for Starbucks. “We share a passion for providing excellent customer service, delivering high quality in everything we do, and ensuring that every experience with our brand exceeds our customers’ expectations. This is something our customers and partners (employees) have asked for through MyStarbucksIdea.com since the site launched more than four years ago, so we are pleased to bring this idea to life.”

Buena Vista Street, currently under construction at Disney California Adventure park, will be the new entrance area for the park and represents a significant change in quality and direction for the struggling theme park. Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Cafe will house the Starbucks location, which will be themed to fit the surrounding 1920’s Los Angeles street. The actual store will reflect “Spanish/ Mexican architecture and baristas will wear 1920’s inspired attire… [and] will serve Starbucks items, including coffee and espresso beverages, Frappuccino® blended beverages, and signature breakfast sandwiches and pastries. Guests also will have their choice of Disney favorites, including signature sandwiches and other items, as well as delicious desserts and sweet treats”, Disney said in a blog post.

Disney and Starbucks will also be opening locations at Disneyland, Magic Kingdom Park, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Although the exact locations and opening dates for the other five Starbucks have not yet been announced, it reasons to believe that Disneyland’s location may be on Main Street, where for the past 3 months, the former coffee shop has been under an extensive refurbishment. The Blue Ribbon Bakery served Nescafe coffee for years prior to its closing this past January, and the coffee was not well received by guests. The Carnation Cafe is will be taking over most of the indoor space formally held by the Blue Ribbon Bakery, however, the current refurbishment would make a good opportunity to install a themed specific Starbucks location.

“We know food and beverage offerings are an important part of the memories our guests make at Disney Parks and now they will be able to enjoy their favorite Starbucks® beverage as part of their experience,” said Maribeth Bisienere, vice president, food and beverage line of business for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts [in a Starbucks press release]. “Many of our guests have shared their passion for Starbucks with us, and we look forward to making their feedback a reality as we debut the first location at Disney California Adventure.”

So what do you think? Are you excited that Disney Parks are finally receiving Starbucks coffee locations? Or do you see this as a negative for the experience of a Disney theme park? Let’s discuss it below!